Britain opens its first official weed research facility for medical marijuana

This summer, the Uk’s first medical cannabis research facility is going to open – studying the medical uses of weed for the first time in this country.

Do they need any volunteers, we wonder?
The facility will be opened by Medipen – who tested a cannabis vaporiser with the NHS last year.

The Medipen contains ‘cannabidiol’ (CBD), a chemical from cannabis which campaigners claim helps with diseases including cancer and Crohn’s disease.

Crucially, the oil doesn’t contain any THC, the chemical in cannabis which causes the high – and it is legal in the UK.
But in the new facility – at an as-yet-undisclosed location – will explore the use of THC (the chemical in cannabis which gets you stoned) as a treatment for cancer patients.

Medipen says, ‘The brand new 1,800ft2 facility will be presented to the public within the next few weeks. This marks the beginning of a strenuous course of clinical trials and research into the medicinal applications of several cannabis constituents, with the goal of developing a portfolio of licensed cannabinoid based medicines in the coming years.

‘In particular, the biotech startup is keen to explore the applications of key phytocannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for use in cancer patients, with the aim of not only minimising the negative impact of existing chemotherapy based treatments such as nausea and vomiting through its antiemetic properties, but also attempting to suppress metastasis through inhibiting the proliferation of cancer.

A government regulator said last year a cannabis chemical has a ‘restoring’ effect on humans – and is a legitimate medicine.
It could be a breakthrough moment for the movement to legalise cannabis in the UK, activists have said.
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency) says that cannabidiol has a ‘restoring, correcting or modifying’ effect on ‘physiological functions’.
‘Cannabidiol’ (CBD), is a chemical from cannabis which campaigners claim helps with diseases including cancer and Crohn’s disease.
Crucially, CBD products don’t contain any THC, the chemical in cannabis which causes the high – and it is legal in the UK.
Jordan Owen, Managing Director of CBD company MediPen says, ‘Since our inception we’ve worked hard to obtain our goal of breaking down the negative connotations surrounding Cannabis to lead to a reform in the law for medicinal use.
‘Now this is finally becoming a reality, which will provide ground breaking results.’